One part Mega Man, one part DuckTales, one part Castlevania, and many parts many other 2D NES classics, 2014’s Shovel Knight was one of the finest (and somehow most original) neo-retro games of this generation. Made by the former WayForward developers at Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight challenged players to travel throughout the 8-bit countryside vanquishing foes with a gardening instrument to rescue their beloved Shield Knight. No wonder it made so much money on Kickstarter.

In fact, Shovel Knight’s Kickstarter campaign was so successful, it funded the development of three additional campaigns starring the game’s memorable bosses. Specter of Torment, the second of these campaigns, is currently a Nintendo Switch exclusive and a great Switch Game That Isn’t Zelda.

While I very much enjoyed the original Shovel Knight, the first expansion, Plague of Shadows, disappointed me. Plague Knight’s bomb-based jumping was awkward, and levels were barely changed. Considered how intuitive and brilliantly designed the original was, this just felt like a bad ROM hack. I didn’t bother finishing it. Fortunately, Specter of Torment fixes virtually all of these problems.

Specter of Torment is essentially a standalone game. The new structure has players skulking around a castle and warping to new levels instead of traveling across a map. The story is also much more ambitious. It’s a prequel about how Specter Knight gained his ghostly Grim Reaper form and undead powers in the service of recruiting powerful minions for Shovel Knight’s big bad The Enchantress. The tale is surprisingly effective, especially flashbacks scenes that break up the main action with the most melancholy and monochrome Game Boy-esque gameplay.

But what ultimately makes Specter of Torment my favorite remix of Shovel Knight so far is its revamped movement system. Shovel Knight ran and jumped across his levels like a typical platformer protagonist, occasionally jumping off of foes’ heads with his shovel like a pogo stick. I already mentioned my distaste for Plague Knight’s bomb jumps. But moving Specter Knight around feels so new and fluid and satisfying in comparison. You can combine wall jumps, and short wall runs to maneuver through cramped vertical space. You can also use your scythe to grind on rails or home in and slash through enemies to move diagonally. It’s like Sonic the Hedgehog but actually functional.

Not only are these mechanics a joy to use on their own but they also work beautifully together to make combat and movement more seamless. Add in darkness-fueled special powers like bouncing projectiles, magic armor, and cloning yourself and it’s always exciting to discover just what you can pull off in any given level. When hope seemed lost I would cling to life through well-timed wall jumps, slashes, and skeleton turret deployments.

Another great side effect of the new controls is that levels have been heavily altered to accommodate them with new layouts and enemy placement. Again, it essentially feels like a new game just made with the same lovely pixelated art assets and synth music. The developers have compared it to The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and that’s pretty accurate. It makes me excited to see if and how Yacht Club can top themselves with the final King Knight expansion.

Shovel Knight eventually came out on every modern platform you can think of, and soon Specter of Torment will hit other platforms, too. You’ll be able to buy it separately or as part of the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove pack that includes the main game, all expansions, and new features like co-op, battle mode, and the ability to swap any character’s gender. It’s a great deal if you’re new to the game. But right now Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment is a great, exclusive Nintendo Switch Game That Isn’t Zelda.